Coin-controlled mechanism for vending machines



Mar; 27, 1923 1,449,858

F. HEROT COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Filed June 28,1920 Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

F l C E FRANK HEROT, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COIN-CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES.

Application filed June 28, 1920. Serial No. 392,192.

To all whom it in my concern Be it known that I, FRANK HERoT, a citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Coin- ControlleclMechanism for Vending Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to coin controlled l0 mechanism for vendingmachines and it generically has for its purpose the provision of new andimproved devices that are more especially designed for convenientlycontrolling the operation of a rotary shaft on which the ejectingelements are mounted and held for engaglng with the lowermost ones ofpackages contained in magazines or compartments from which they are tobe vended.

My invention embodies generically an improved construction of coincontrolled mechanism in which the use of springs'is reduced to a singlespring whose main function is to hold the rotary ejecting devices andthe coin carrier that is loosely mounted on the shaft, that carries therotatable ejector devices, and which has peripheral pockets for edgewisereceiving the inserted coins, in desired or normalposition, and whichalso further serves as a means for applying a knock orsudden impulse tothe ejector devices, after they are turned a distance sufficient toeject the selected or purchased ar-- ticle and thereby operate forcausing a posi-- tive and speedy ejectionof the coin used for connectingthe movable parts during the operation of working the machine.

Again, my invention seeks to provide a simple, stable, and effectivemeans for causing the deposited coin to interlockably connect the coinholder and the rotary shaft or goods ejector in such manner that apositive vending operation may be, at all times, effected after theproper coin has been inserted and danger of the coin slipping out ofposition or the coin mechanism missing action, is ositively overcome.

With 0th inafter appear, my invention embodies, in a coin controlledmechanism of the general character stated, the peculiar features ofconstruction and novel arrangement of parts, all of which will behereinafter eX- plained, specifically brought out in the appended claimsandillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

er objects in view that will here- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partsbeing in section, of my improved coin controlled mechanism, so much of avending machine structure being shown as is necessary to illustrate anoperativeand practical presentation of my invention.

Figure is a rear end view of my improved com controlled rotary ejectordevices, the parts being in the normal position shown in Figure 1.

F igure3 is a similar view of the other or front end of the said devicesand illustrates a normal position of the coin receiving prongs and thecooperating gear-shaped coin receiver or holder.

Figure 4: is a similar view which illustrates the position of the coinwhen inserted for placing the coin mechanism in condition for rotatingthe ejector devices for delivery of an article.

Figure 5 is a front view of the coin hold-. ing gear and the prongedmembers that con-' stitute a rigid part of the rotary ejector devices,the latter being indicated at the beginning of the goods dischargingplace and the coin about to be thrown out of the coin holding parts, theposition of the opposite orsquared end of the rotaryejector devices andthe coacting spring being indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 and shows the coin receiving gearand the forked coin holder at the coin ejecting position, the positionof the opposite or squared end of the rotaryejector devices and theknocker spring being indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 7 illustrates, in perspective, the multi-pronged coin engagedmember that constitutes a part of therotary ejector and the handactuated gear shaped coin holder and shifter hereinafter specificallyreferred to.

In the drawings, only so much of a goods holder is shown'as is necessarytodisclose a practical application of my invention and 100 in the saiddrawing, 1 designates the machine casing which is suitably provided, atits opposite sides,'with bearings 2-2 upon which the goods ejectingmeans and the coin carrier 4 are operatively mounted in the 105 mannerpresently more fully explained.

- A number of package holding magazines or chutes 5 are shown and theyare arranged in parallel vertical alignment above the ejec-, torelements and each chute 5 has a slotted 110 portions so arranged thatthey engage the lowermost ones of the stacks of packages and dischargethem laterally from the chutes or magazines 5 in the usual manner. In myconstruction the ejectors 8 are all formed integrally with a long sleeve81 that is journalled at the opposite ends in the opposite bearings 22on the inside of the casingend and in which the operating shaft 9 isloosely mounted. The front end of the shaft 9 has a socket 20, thepurpose of which will presently appear.

At the inner end, the sleeve 81 has the usual integral squared head 82which is engaged by the free end of a flat swing 10 that is secured tothe c: 1g wall, in any suitable way, so that its or free end, at alltimes, rests upon one of the flat edges of the head 82 and thereby holdsthe ejector sleeve and its ejector members, at all times, in properposition for operation.

At the front or outer end, the sleeve 81 has a spider in the nature offour equi-distantly spaced members 84, each of which has a bifurcatedangled finger 83.

In the practical assemblage of the several parts mentioned, the bifurcaed fingers 83 are positioned for being turned in line with. the lower ordelivery end of the coin chute and, as is clearly indicated in Figure 1,it will be noticed the several fingers 84: also project over the coincarrier into which the coins are received as they drop down the coinchute and through any one of the fingers 83 that may be turned toregister with the coin chute as before mentioned.

The coin carrier, in my construction, is in the nature of a gear wheelhaving closely related cog-like teeth, the teeth being separated at theinnermost point to constitute pockets 13 of suflicient width to snuglyre ceive and hold the coins edgewise therein when they drop through theslotted finger 88 which is in line with the coin delivery chute.

The gear-like carrier is fixedly secured, by a screw pin 'l-lonto ahublike sleeve that passes through the outer casing wall and fits ontothe adjacent end of the shaft 9 which supports the rotatable ejectordevices, as shown.

The screw pin i l passes through the sleeve 15 and engages the socket 20in the shaft and thereby locks the coin holder 1+l and the operatingcrank or knob 16 and the shaft to turn together.

So long as there is no coin in place, the knob maybe freely turned ineither direction to bring the forked member 84: in proper position foredgewise receiving the coin dropped through the coin chute. After thecoin has been dropped and it sets edgewise on one of the gear-likepockets of the carrier and through one of the prong lingers 83, it nowlocks the shaft 9 and the ejector devices to move together. As theejector turned to discharge the match box, the flat spring that engagesthe squared end member of the rear end of the shaft, gathers tension asone of the corner edges of the square shaped memher or head lifts thespring 10 that lays edgewise on the squared'or flat edge of the saidmember.

When the shaft 9, with its member 8 1 has been turned to the point ofdischarging the purchased box, or other article being vended, and theflat spring passes over the approaching corner of the member 82, thestored tension of the spring causes its front end to snap down withforce against the next advancing flat edge of the member 82, therebygiving the member 82 on the shaft 1, on which the coin carrier isfixedly held, a sudden knock that causes it to turn quickly forward andin doing so causes the coin to drop out of engagement witlrthe carrierand the forked member and to facilitate the drop of the coin at theproper time, that is, when the shaft is knocked or jolted by the spring,as stated. The several pockets in the carrier are cut at an angle, asindicated at 25, to produce bevelled surfaces that incline toward theforwardly going direction of the carrier which gives the coin sufficientplay and prevents it from binding or sticking in the coin pockets.

My invention is of a very simple and inexpensive character, the ejectingdevices and the coin controlled members being so arranged that my saidcoin controlled mechanism may be readily applied to any of the manytypes of vending machines in which a revoluble ejecting device isutilized for discharging the goods.

What I claim is 1. In a coin controlled vending machine, a hand operatedmember, a good ejecting device normally disconnected from the handoperated member but adapted to be operatively connected therewiththrough the medium of the deposited coin, the said hand operated memberincluding a gear shaped coin holder, the goods ejecting member having adisk with at least one slotted finger projecting laterally therefromwith which the deposited coin engages as it drops edgewise into the coinreceiver, and means for imparting a jar to the ejecting devices as theyreach the goods delivery position whereby to positively separate thecoin from tl coin carrier and the slotted finger.

2. In a coin controlled vending machine, a hand operated rotary shaft, arotary goods ejector loosely mounted on the shaft, a squared head on oneend of the ejector, a spider on the other end of the ejector havingslotted angled fingers, one of which corresponds to each side of thesquared head, the several slotted fingers being disposed in longitudinalalignment with the four corners of the squared head, a spring engagingthe head and adapted for imparting quick forward impulses to the head asthe corners thereof pass from under it, a gear that rotates Within theconfines of the slotted fingers of the ejector whereby the depositedcoin can pass ed ewise through a selected one of the slotted ngers andinto one of the spaces between adjacent teeth of the gear for lockingthe hand operated shaft and the ejector to turn together.

8. In a coin controlled vending machine, a hand operated rotary shaft, arotary goods ejector loosely mounted on the shaft, a squared head on oneend of the ejector, a spider on the other end of the ejector havingslotted angled fingers, one of which corresponds to each side of thesquared head, the several slotted fingers being disposed in longitudinalalignment with the four corners of the squared head, a spring engagingthe head and adapted for imparting quick for- Ward impulses to the headas the corners thereof pass from under it, a disk having radial crossgrooves in its peripheral edge that rotates Within the confines oftheslotted fingers of the ejector, whereby the deposited coin can passedgewise through a selected one of the slotted fingers and into one ofthe cross grooves in'the disk for locking the hand operated shaft andthe ejector to turn together, the outer portions of the said crossgrooves in the disk being spread to allow for alimited free sidewisemotion of the disk and the coin with respect to the ejector devices.

4:. In a coin controlled vending machine, a hand operated rotatablymounted shaft, a second member including a sleeve loosely mounted on theshaft and having at least one ejecting extension adapted for engaging apackage to be discharged, said sleeve having a cam-like member includingat least one edge and cooperative flat bearing surface, a fixedly heldfiat spring whose outer free end engages the cam edge or surface andtends to impart a jerky rotation to the sleeve on the shaft, a turninghub and a receiver having radial grooves for edgewise holding a coin,means for fixedly holding the hub and coin receiver to turn with theshaft, at least one radially projected member on the rot-a table sleevehaving a bifurcated angular finger in which the coin is held as itedgewise rests in one of the radial grooves of the receiver, one wall ofeach of the coin grooves in the receiver being outwardly bevelledwhereby to provide lateral play of the coin, as the receiver and theforked finger are turned, to the coin dischargin position.

FRANIHZEROT.

